Old Town, Lakedale

The Old Town is a district of Lakedale, Illinois, located on the eastern limits of the town and next to US Route 66. The Old Town was founded in March 2017 when some businessmen decided to design a new town in the underpopulated Grundy County of northern Illinois, and it consisted of several homes and businesses. The Old Town received water and electricity from the Nature District of Lakedale, and it grew rapidly as the infrastructure increased. However, the district suffered from a lack of public services (including a police department, schools, medical centers, firefighters, and waste management for months), periodic water and electricity shortages, and abandonment caused by high taxes, and the town council was unable to pay for its massive infrastructural changes. Lakedale grew more rapidly than the town's purse, leading to economic difficulties. By the spring of 2018, around a third of Lakedale's shops and homes were vacant, leading to a large-scale bulldozing campaign. The population fluctuated as tax rates and the number of households rose and fell, and the town was able to establish several important public buildings in the area after taking loans and bailouts from local banks and the government.